It is the perfect time to compete with Lady Li. It would be best if she could quickly gain the favor of the heir apparent and give birth to a son by a concubine as soon as possible, so as to solidify her position as the Third Sister and secure the marriage alliance with the Prince's Mansion.
Sixth Sister, Seventh Sister, Ninth Sister, Tenth Sister...
Which of them is the most suitable?
The old lady closed her eyes slightly and fell into deep thought.
******
The four An sisters were still unaware of what had happened at the Prince's mansion that day.
Originally, dinner was always served in the Grand Madam's courtyard, but that day they said the Grand Madam was tired and asked them to eat in their own courtyard, without needing to visit or pay their respects.
It must be related to Third Sister, all four of them vaguely guessed.
Could it be that the agreement to take the child to Third Aunt's house to raise was not reached?
An Ran silently guessed in her heart that there was no turning back after Li entered the house, and now she could only try her best to undo the bad effects of this incident.
It seems the third sister and brother-in-law have had more than one argument! Recalling the prince's somewhat cold attitude towards the third sister-in-law, An Ran felt uneasy. Fortunately, the couple still had feelings for each other! In the end, the prince still said those words to the third sister-in-law.
However, if Third Sister cannot change her attitude towards Li Shi and the illegitimate son, the couple's feelings will likely be worn down day by day, and before long, they will turn against each other and become estranged.
In addition, Li was a formidable woman.
I'm afraid Third Sister is going to suffer a great loss!
"Miss, there's been a response to what you asked me to inquire about!" Jinping entered, lifting the curtain. (Just Love Network)
Chapter 36 Selection
Seeing that An Ran was alone, she whispered, "I asked my mother to secretly inquire about many people who used to serve in the Marquis's mansion."
An Ran immediately perked up and listened attentively.
"Everyone says that thirteen years ago, there was no record of a Ninth Miss in the manor. Your aunt also never appeared in the Marquis's manor," Jinping said solemnly. "Even before that, the Sixth Miss was the same!"
Upon hearing this, An Ran immediately asked, "Where are all these people right now?"
“Apart from those who served in the Grand Madam’s residence, these people were all sold off or sent to serve in other residences or estates. It seems that those who served in the mansion more than ten years ago have been replaced without anyone noticing!”
A look of surprise flashed across An Ran's eyes.
So, it seems that I and Sixth Sister have never existed in the Marquis's mansion!
No wonder she didn't return to the Marquis's mansion in her previous life. All those stories about being lost as a child and needing to recuperate outside were just lies to fabricate their identities!
An Ran felt cold all over.
If that's the case, then the Dowager Lady or Lady Zhao could easily manipulate me. To oppose them would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
If they wanted, they could make themselves and Sixth Sister disappear without a trace! She was just a helpless illegitimate daughter; who would care or concern her?
"What was Madam like when she was young?" An Ran composed herself, recalling her previous guesses. "Before Concubine Lan and Concubine Li, were there any other concubines in the household? Including those who have passed away. What about my fourth sister's concubines?"
Jinping thought for a moment, then replied hesitantly, "Replying to Miss, my mother told me that when Madam first married into the family, the Jingbei Marquis's mansion was at its peak, while our Nan'an Marquis's mansion was quite different. Back then, Madam was considered to have married down... Madam cared a lot about the Marquis!"
“Before Consort Li, the Marquis only had a few maids by his side.” Jinping replied cautiously, “I asked around, and no one has ever been promoted to concubine. Fourth Aunt’s mother was born to one of the Marquis’s maids, but unfortunately she was unlucky. She was weak and passed away not long after giving birth to Fourth Miss.”
She was, after all, a servant in the household, and had once served Zhao Shi. It wouldn't be appropriate to directly say that Zhao Shi, relying on her powerful family, acted arrogantly and domineeringly in the Marquis's mansion, forbidding anyone from being near the Marquis of Nan'an. But An Ran understood the unspoken meaning in her words; it was definitely because Zhao Shi was jealous and her family was powerful, so Zhao Shi naturally held absolute power.
The legal wife is domineering and forceful; judging from their father's appearance, he must be a charming and amorous young man. If he doesn't dare to do this at home, could he simply keep a mistress outside the marriage behind Zhao's back?
If that's the case, then it would explain why Liu Niang and I exist!
"Now it seems, which is more powerful, the Jingbei Marquis's Mansion or our Nan'an Marquis's Mansion?" An Ran asked again.
Jinping answered quickly this time, saying without hesitation, "Of course it's our Marquis's Mansion! Ever since the Marquis of Jingbei's Mansion was taken over by my uncle, it has not been as respectable as it was when the old Marquis was alive. Our Marquis's Mansion has also contributed to the rise of the new dynasty, so it is naturally more respectable than the Marquis of Jingbei's Mansion."
Anran nodded.
Those who seized that opportunity eleven years ago are all doing quite well now. Even the Chen family, who were convinced early on that the current emperor would ascend the throne, sent large sums of money to replenish military funds, which led to their immense wealth and prosperity later on.
It seems that Zhao's family is now weak, and since she has only given birth to two legitimate daughters and then stopped having children, Zhao has no choice but to make some compromises.
The Marquis of Nan'an had no legitimate son and no illegitimate son. Over time, everyone would say that Lady Zhao was infertile and extremely jealous, suppressing her concubines and forbidding them from conceiving. Such a reputation was extremely bad.
It was from that time that the concubines of Seventh Sister and Tenth Sister had the opportunity to serve An Yuanliang, give birth to their illegitimate daughters, and were promoted to concubines.
"Where are the concubines of the eldest and second masters from? Were they bought from outside or are they from within the manor? Were they from the Grand Madam's side or the Madam's side?"
Jinping thought for a moment, then said uncertainly, "Few people dare to mention the concubines of the eldest and second masters. I'm not very clear either. It seems that one was given by the Grand Madam, and the other was a maid that the Madam brought from her maiden home."
An Ran's expression immediately turned serious.
Jin Ping had previously told her that An Rui and An Feng's concubines were banished to the family temple because they "cursed the lady with witchcraft," which An Ran found strange. Since there were no legitimate sons in the household, it was very likely that one of these two illegitimate sons would inherit the family business in the future.
Even if a legitimate son inherits the marquisate, a son born out of wedlock can still pass the imperial examinations or inherit a portion of the family property, ensuring a comfortable life. These two individuals don't need to do anything; they can simply wait for their child to grow up.
If one can pass the imperial examinations and rise through the ranks to become an official, it is not impossible to earn an imperial title for one's aunt as well.
So, the two of them still have a good chance and won't dig their own graves.
There's something else strange that An Ran hadn't realized before. If Zhao Shi had such leverage over the two of them, would she be satisfied with just exiling them to the ancestral temple? Knowing Zhao Shi's temperament, she would definitely take their lives!
Could this just be an excuse?
An Ran had a sudden realization: how could An Rui and An Feng's birth mother not know the benefits of being obedient and law-abiding? It's likely that Zhao Shi had considered getting rid of the mother and keeping the children!